Magdalena Serban, the 36-year-old woman who pushed two women in front of the subway train in Bucharest earlier last week, killing one of them, was placed under 30-day preventive arrest and will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The psychiatric specialists want to know if the woman knew what she was doing in those moments, as the images from the surveillance cameras show the woman planning and calculating the best moment for pushing the two women in front of the train.

After watching the video footages captured by the surveillance cameras, psychiatric experts consulted by local Digi24.ro said Magdalena Serban knew exactly what she was doing and planned the actions in cold blood. She pushed both women just moments before the train entered the station, and this could mean she wanted to make sure that the victims had no chance of escaping.

Psychiatrists said her behavior in those moments is worthy of being studied. She chose the victims, the best moment, and made an alibi on the spot.

The woman first pushed a girl in front of the train at the Costin Georgian subway station on Tuesday afternoon, December 12. Fortunately, in this case, the girl managed to fight back and escape. However, after she saw that the girl didn’t fell onto the tracks, Magdalena Serban tried to explain her actions and told the other passengers that the girl had tried to take her money, the girl’s father said, reports local Digi24. She then left the station. A few hours later, she pushed yet another young woman off the platform and onto the tracks. The young woman tried to save herself and climb back on the platform, but the aggressor kicked her and then ran away as the train was just entering the station.

Although she is now being investigated for murder and attempted murder, Magdalena Serban could escape prison if the psychiatric evolution shows that she didn’t know what she was doing. She will be admitted to a specialized medical center for treatment.

Meanwhile, the ongoing investigation also revealed problems in the way the call to the emergency number 112 was handled. The operator who took the call related to the first incident, the one at Costin Georgian station, apparently failed to follow the procedure. The Special Telecommunications Service announced on Thursday, December 14, that it has notified the Military Prosecutor's Office of possible violations of the law by the 112 operator who took the phone call.

The girl who escaped the attack waited two hours to file a complaint with the Police, her father told the media. He said the 112 operator told him to go to the subway station where the incident occurred and talk to the staff there. Then, when the girl and her father finally managed to talk to somebody from the police, they had to wait almost two hours to file the complaint. Meanwhile, the aggressor went to the Dristor station where she pushed another woman in front of the subway train, killing her.

Magdalena Serban's lawyer said she regrets her actions, Digi24.ro reported.

Transport minister Felix Stroe said on Thursday, December 14, that Bucharest subway operator Metrorex would install passenger protection systems in metro stations starting the second quarter of next year. The announcement came after thousands of people signed an online petition asking for anti-suicide/accident barriers at the subway.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com